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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · saw · bulb · date · last · nail · land · stick

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. track — to keep track
  3. last — final
  4. track — a path
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. last — finally
  7. bulb — for light
  8. land — to come down
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bulb — for light
  11. saw — the tool
  12. land — a country
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. date — the fruit
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. track — a song
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. land — ground
  21. last — to go on
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com